The Fire Within
by Chaos-harbinger
Summary: AU. InuYasha and Sango work at Engine 52 as firefighters of course. On a routine call, InuYasha saves a pretty young girl named Kagome and from there his life gets turned upside down. Dodging bullets and punches, he begins to think this isn't routine.


InuYasha and Sango work at Engine 52 as firefighters of course. On a routine call, InuYasha saves a pretty young girl named Kagome and from there his life gets turned upside down. Now he not only has to do deal with Kouga, who is a police officer eyeing Kagome, but these weird people who seem intent on Kagome's demise. Between dodging punches and dodging bullets, InuYasha begins to suspect this is anything but routine.

Wow! Its another InuYasha fic by me the lovely Chaosharbinger.

Inu: modest, ain't she?

Chaos:smacks him upside the head: watch it bub, I can torture you so much in this…..oh btw, I don't own anything but the plot! And if you take that, you take my wrath with it.

Inu: ooh lookit at 'em, they're shaking in their boots.

Chaos:evil glare: you asked for it:begins typing furiously:

A raven-haired beauty walks down the sidewalk, sneakers on her feet and high heels swinging lightly in her hand. Passing under street-lamp after street-lamp, her shadow comes and goes like the tide ebbs and flows. It's late, later than she would have liked but she had to fill the large order fro the Johnston wedding and arranging all those flowers took longer than she expected. Her boss was counting on this account for more promotional funds. Hathaway's Bouquets was just a small store with a few loyal customers that kept it alive. Mrs. Johnston was one of them. Mrs. Johnston was also one of those people who liked to make everything extravagant and for her only son she was going all out with her husband's millions. Mrs. Johnston and Ms. Hathaway were old friends so that put even more pressure on the mysterious raven-haired beauty to be in top form.

The job didn't pay a whole lot, but Kagome liked it just enough. She could only afford an apartment on the edge of the so-called shady side of town on her salary, but she didn't mind. Clutching her bottle of pepper spray, Kagome got ready for whatever was making her hair stand on end. She eyed a particularly dark alley with caution and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding after she passed it without incident. A man walking out of a 7-11 up ahead looked somewhat lost and eyed Kagome hopefully.

"Excuse me, miss? Could you please tell me how to get to Seventh and Coben? The clerk in there wasn't too clear about anything."

Kagome took in the man's appearance; khaki pants, light blue polo, windbreaker and a long braid of the same raven hair. He didn't seem to be from this part of town and fairly harmless, plus she was out in front of the 7-11 and could always scream to the clerk for help. Releasing her death grip on the pepper spray, Kagome dug around in her purse for her ever-present pencil and paper. '_Always have it, just in case,_' her mother's voice rang in her head.

"Sure," she said, beginning to draw a map. "You just stay on Harlen here, until you get to Benton and make a right at the light………"

Unfortunately for Kagome, she could not see behind the counter in the 7-11, where, in a pool of his own blood, lay the clerk. So even if she could scream out for help, there would be no one around to hear her. Silently, another man stalked from within that dark alley that had sent chills up Kagome's spine, and into the street-light's orange-ish glow. Sneaking up behind the unsuspecting victim, he struck like a snake strikes at its prey; without warning.

A hand clamped over her mouth and Kagome could distinctly smell Chloroform on the rag in that hand. Her last thought before she passed out was, '_Oh shit! They found me!_'

"Good job, Jakotsu. Now let's finish this."

­­­­­­­o.O.o

A loud bell was sounding throughout the station house of Ladder 52, but to InuYasha, it was a distant buzzing sound within his dreamland and he simply turned over and kept on sleeping. One minute he was but a zipper away from getting into Carmen Electra's pants, the next he was soaking went in ice cold water and being dragged to the pole by his friend Sango.

"**Damnit! **I was this close, _this close!_" he put his thumb and forefinger together, almost making contact as he slid down the firehouse pole. He quickly jumped into his gear with a scowl.

"Every damn time, every _single **damn **_time! It's like it knows when to wake me up just to torture me!" InuYasha shook his fist at the bell as he hopped into the back of the cab of Engine 52.

"Actually, it knows when to wake _me_ up to dump ice water on you so you can cool off from your hot and steamy sex romps," Sango laughed. "So, who was it this time? Pamela Anderson? Angelina Jolie? Nikki Cox? Paris Hilton?"

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! Paris Hilton? Geez Sango, you act like I have no taste! She looks like she still hasn't hit puberty yet. Sleeping with her would be like sleeping with a piece of particle board. And no, this time it was Carmen." He replied, shoving his long silver hair under his helmet.

"Oh of course! How could I forget Carmen Electra!" she through her hands up with added sarcasm. "She who married Dennis Rodman! Of course! She _has got_ to have sex appeal after that!" InuYasha was about to reply with a witty comeback like "anyone would have sex appeal after that! If he could get some then there is still hope for you." But the engine had rolled up to the call. He slid his arms into his jacket and air tank straps in one practiced, fluid motion. The captain stood in front of it all, giving out orders with experienced ease. Not the tallest of the bunch, the cap looked like midget among some of the younger guys, but they all loved and respected him. He looked toward InuYasha and the rest of the Search and Retrieve team and nodded.

"Alright ladies and germs," this got a small giggle out of the crowd, the captain smiled as well. "this building is supposed to be condemned, but as you know, homeless people often times seek shelter from the elements here. Do a thorough sweep and bring out anyone you find. AMR buses are on their way so get to it! The hose team is coming out now so you should have somewhat of a clear path. Now get your asses in there and come out in one piece!"

As InuYasha entered the building, he waved to Sango who had just come out. She mouthed 'good luck' to him as he began to search. The building was bigger than it let on from the outside. To cut down on time, they had split into teams of two and divided the building into sections for each pair. InuYasha had gotten stuck with the rookie at his first fire. He was a bit over eager and ignored some of the more obvious danger signs of weak spots, but he also kept InuYasha from going down at seeing the not so obvious signs of back draft and what have you. They were on their last room when InuYasha saw something by the rookie's foot. Part of the roof had caved in, so all InuYasha could see was what looked like a hand.

"Oi! Rookie! Help me lift this! There is someone in here!" They both bent down, and, with some resistance, flipped the board off the unconscious person. As InuYasha looked down, he saw something that caused him to recoil on instinct. Like a ghost from his past, déja vu swept over him and he was traumatized for a second time. Getting over his mental shake down, InuYasha picked up a raven-haired woman as his partner asked if the med team was here and for them to prepare for a possible D.O.A. As they began to leave the room, the rest of the supports holding what was left of the roof gave way. Though it could do more harm than good, InuYasha through the girl over his shoulder and ran toward the door like a bat out of hell.

"Look out InuYasha! It's a total collapse! Keep your ass moving!" he heard Sango shout as he breeched the doorway, the rookie just ahead of him. He didn't even turn around to check because he could feel the heat on the back of his neck. The loud, thunderous crunch became clearer as the lower levels gave and the wood splintered under the added weight and weakened condition. InuYasha wasn't going to make it to the relative safety behind the engines in time. With no place to go, the fire would be forced outward through any previous openings, like a doorway or windows. Checking to make sure his helmet was secure, InuYasha yelled at the rookie to get down as he took the girl off his shoulder and laid her none to gently onto the ground, covering her as best he could with his own body.

The implosion sent debris flying everywhere, forcing the other firefighters to temporarily abandon their fallen comrades as charred pieces of wood and melting glass was hurled toward them. InuYasha was glad for his helmet when a heavy support beam landed upright next to his head and fell over on the battered, grungy, lifesaving equipment.

The hose team rushed back to the excitement, putting out any spot fires and flare-ups while the paramedics went to work on the wounded. The only non-work related injury was Kagome, who, besides from not breathing, wasn't too much worse for the wear.

"Hey InuYasha, this ones a babe!" Miroku called after him. The paramedic had been trying to set InuYasha up for awhile, saying he was living "vicariously" through him. This meant InuYasha was almost always set up with some bimbo with big boobs and no brains. Being lecherous in nature, Miroku didn't really try and fill the intellectual requirement needed to keep InuYasha interested for very long. Sure he liked an easy mark every once and awhile, but not all the time. He wanted more than a companion for the night, he wanted someone he could hold and talk to, to just sit with and be comfortable. And any girl Miroku picked out was sure to fail against his expectations. Peering in to get a better look, InuYasha could hardly see anything of the poor woman, the grime and soot covered most of her features and they were performing CPR on her so his view was limited. Suddenly he felt six years old again, watching on hopelessly as the paramedics performed CPR on a woman and all he could do was stand there. Fisting his hands in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles© pajama shirt, he tried not to cry as the moment seemed to last forever before the woman on the gurney sat up with a haunting look on her face and called out his name. But the voice wasn't how he remembered it, it was…….

"InuYasha, your hair's on fire." Sango said nonchalantly, smacking his shoulder since tapping wasn't working. Realization dawned on him and his eyes grew wide and he threw off his helmet, sending a cascade of silver hair tumbling down his back. InuYasha heard a hacking cough behind him followed by a sharp intake of breath. He spun around to lock eyes with the gorgeous blue eyes of his rescued fire victim.

Kagome had felt safe, warm and totally relaxed. Her eyelids felt heavy and she started to drift farther into the safe warmth. But something inside her told her come back, stay away from the warmth and safety. '_but why?_' she argued, she was comfortable and sleep seemed like the best idea she has had all day. '_because,_' the voice sounded urgent, '_this isn't the kind of sleep one wakes up from._' She was awake now, slightly colder and somewhat aware of something shoving roughly on her chest, forcing stale air into her mouth from her lungs. It took one rather hard push on Kagome's chest to force all of the stale air from her lungs. The sudden emptiness made Kagome even more aware that no air had come to fill her lungs again right away. She wasn't breathing! Bolting upright with the force of the sharp intake of breath, she began to cough severely. '_Too much too soon,_' she thought before taking another life giving breath. Opening her eyes, a bright, blinding light filtered in, making her momentarily squint. Movement caught her eye as they adjusted to the brightness. Like liquid silver spun by a magical spider, long, sleek, silvery hair seemingly waved at her before revealing what she thought was an angel with simmering golden eyes. Their eyes locked and relief seemed to emanate from within and wash over him. She noticed nothing of her surroundings until a wandering hand on her backside drew her attention. A loud "EEP!" and a harsh slap drew everyone's attention to the paramedic on Kagome's right.

"**_Miroku!_**" Sango yelled and InuYasha warned menacingly. Miroku just threw his hands up in feigned innocence, though his cheek was quite red from contact with Kagome's hand.

"Alright, I'm going to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation," InuYasha stated matter-of-factly, even though he had been wearing an oxygen mask the whole time. Sango began to point this out until he none too discreetly kicked her and she caught on. Miroku on the other hand……

"Ummm, InuYasha, I think the only reason for you to go the hospital is to get your head examined," he taunted, treading on dangerously thin ice that was beginning to spider web beneath his feet. A small giggle erupted from the ebony haired girl on the gurney at the three friends antics. The small giggle turned into a chuckle, which exploded into howling laughter. The others joined in as well until all four were holding their sides.

InuYasha had been ready to tackle Miroku when he heard her giggle. After they had all settled down, he smirked at her which caused her grin to widen as he said, "Well yeah Miroku, I think I should go get my head checked out too, what with the 6 by 12 beam falling on it and all." Shrugging as he hopped into the back of the ambulance, he waved goodbye to Sango as she closed the door. As it drove off, Sango thought she could hear Miroku say, "I know this might sound rather odd, but, will you bear my child?" followed by a shout and a loud THUMP!

o.O.o

_You smell smoke. Thick, choking, enveloping smoke and you open your eyes to see it surrounding you. Being very young and alone in your room, you thought you were safe, everyone is supposed to be safe in their own room in their own bed. But the massive amount of smoke that has already come into your room tells you that something definitely isn't safe anymore. Covering your mouth with your little hand, you crawl out of bed and try to remember what the fireman had told your class last week. 'Stay low, block the crack in the door, feel the handle……' Crawling over to the door, you grab the handle only to retract your hand with a hiss of pain. Tears begin to well up and you go back to lean against your bed, wrapping yourself in your blanket to keep some feeling of the safety you once had. _

_Shouts come from the other side of the door and you see the door flex before swinging open. Heavy, mechanical breathing remind you of that movie your mom just let you see a few days ago, the bad guy who dressed in all black and carried a red lightsaber. You're scared, people don't breathe like that. _

_"Hey kid? You okay?" The voice sounds muffled but you nod anyway out of instinct._

_"Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you." The muffled voice said again. You don't know whether to believe him or not but you crawl over to him anyway and he carries you outside. There, you stand outside of an ambulance, watching on hopelessly as the paramedics perform CPR on a woman. The night air is cold and you look around for your mother. Where could she be? Still inside? Then you realize, the woman on the gurney is your mother. Fisting your hands in your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles© pajama shirt, you try not to cry as the moment seemed to last forever. The medic's actions become frustrated and frantic before one looks at the other and says, "You want to call it or should I?"_

_"I'll do it," the other says. "Time of death, 22:54." The tears you were fighting so hard to keep back just burst forth and the medics turn to see you and sigh. That just makes you cry harder. You cry and cry and cry until you exhaust yourself into an uneasy sleep. _

o.O.o

InuYasha jerked awake, covered in a cold sweat that drenched his sheets. Looking down at his hands, he found them fisted in the soaking sheets. He numbly releases his deathgrip, h is fingers stiff and unmovable from holding so tightly for so long. Breathing hard and erratic, InuYasha tore the covers from his body and swung his legs over the side of his bed. For a few moments he just stared at his knees, spacing out and letting his eyes unfocus while he mulled over what he had dreamt.

o.O.o

(A/N): and we're done! Yes yes, odd place to leave off and all that but, well, it's 1 frickin' thirty in the morning and I need to go to bed. Yes yes, I hear you, I should have gone to bed a long time ago and finished this later, but I had to put it out there. So pthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Inu: you shouldn't insult possible reviewers, ya know.

chaos: right right. Sorry, I'm just a bit testy right now, what with a job and all. Good god I have a job! The world has come to an end!

Inu: yea it has! You finally got off your lazy ass and wrote this thing instead of letting it rot in your notebook! puts a hand over chaos's mouth save it! Just let them review now and save us all a load of trouble.


End file.
